Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 62 --

Scattered across the scorched earth, the lifeless bodies of Earth Shikibans lay broken—fallen warriors, reduced to ash and silence. Blood soaked the soil like ink spilled from a shattered world. Smoke curled into the sky, spiraling like the last breath of a dying beast.

In the center of the battlefield, Reika stood, breath ragged, shoulders trembling. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her. Sweat clung to her like a second skin. Blood soaked her clothes—not all of it hers.

Her blade, slick with crimson, hummed in her grip, as if trying to remind her she was still here. Still breathing. Still alive.

Barely.

Ryujin was gone.The pact shattered.The warmth inside her—the voice that had guided her through every kill—was silent now.

She was alone.

And now, only one remained.

The Shikiban leader—Ronzi—stood tall, long matted hair drifting in the wind like dead weeds. His eyes—black coals burning through the smoke—locked onto her. He looked like something ancient, something used up. But dangerous still.

"I never thought a brat like you could wipe out my men," he growled, venom in every syllable. "You tore them apart like animals."

Reika raised her weapon. It shook in her hand. Her muscles screamed in protest. Her voice came out cracked.

"Maybe they were animals," she spat. "Now it's your turn. Let's silence your damn heart."

Ronzi smirked, revealing cracked, yellowed teeth. "Tell me something first. Why are you doing this? What's your motive, girl?"

She faltered. Just a little. Her grip tightened, knuckles bone-white.

Why...?

"Motive?" she repeated. Her voice sounded hollow in her own ears. "I kill for the thrill. For the adrenaline."

A lie. Or maybe a half-truth. Even she didn't know anymore.

Ronzi's expression twisted—disbelief, maybe even pity. "Most people join the Kageshiki to save others. To rise up against kings. To protect the weak."

He took a slow step forward.

"And you... what are you?"

Reika's chest tightened. Her lips parted, but no sound came. The battlefield around her felt quieter suddenly. Like the world was listening.

She looked past him—into the haze, into memories.

"I do have a goal," she finally whispered. "I'm here to prove something."

She swallowed hard. Her heart felt like it was beating outside her chest.

"To show the world what it really means... to be strong."

But in truth—she didn't know who she was anymore. Just a girl raised in steel and war. Taught to fight, not to feel. Trained to kill, not to question. All she knew was the blade. All she had left was this moment.

She shut her eyes.

"Anemone: Throne."

From her palm, a black flower bloomed, trembling—then burst apart into a rain of shimmering thorns.

They screamed through the air like sorrow incarnate.

"EARTH TECHNIQUE: SHIELD OF WIND!"

A vortex of wind burst around Ronzi. Most thorns were deflected.

But one cut him—deep across the cheek.

He didn't flinch.

He remembered.

Flashback.

"Let me out! I need to get back to my family!"

Ronzi's voice echoed off the glass. He was young. Human. Brown eyes wide with panic.

Inside the shielded containment box, he banged his fists until they bled.

Kageshiki instructors stood beyond the glass. Watching. Measuring. Unmoved.

"You think we're monsters?" he screamed. "You MADE us monsters! We eat to live! We feel, we bleed! I had a wife—I had a little girl—"

Silence.

Then the soft sound of footsteps.Kenjiku. Cold eyes. White coat. Empty soul.

"You've been summoned to Level-5," he said flatly. "In two years, the new trainees will arrive. You'll feed on them then."

"No! I don't want to hurt anyone—please! Just let me see her. Let me see them—one more time—"

Kenjiku didn't blink.

"Extract 5% of his core energy. Study the reaction. Then reseal."

Agony slammed into Ronzi's chest. His scream was raw. He dropped.

"Just kill me... please..."

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Present.

Ronzi's scar pulsed. His face twisted in pain—ancient and fresh.

"I haven't eaten in months," he muttered, stepping forward. "Haven't tasted anything but dust. All I've felt is hunger. You think I chose this?"

He stared at her, voice cracking.

"You humans made me a monster. Now I get to die like one?"

Reika watched him.

Something twisted inside her—sympathy? Regret? Guilt?

No. She couldn't afford that.

But her voice softened.

"We haven't eaten either," she whispered. "We haven't slept. We bled to be here. We're Kageshiki."

She gritted her teeth. Her body throbbed with pain. Her lungs burned.

"But we chose this."

She raised her sword again.

"You gave up being human."

She took one last breath.

"Seisomuriei."

Her blade glowed, silver-blue, casting trembling light on her bruised face.

"Let's finish this."

"THEN DIE, DAMN BRAT!"

Ronzi slammed his foot down.

"EARTH TECHNIQUE: HELL-BOUND CHAIN!"

Chains burst from his back, iron serpents hissing through the smoke. Reika's eyes went wide.

"Too fast—!"

The chains wrapped around her—arms, legs, ribs. Her blade slipped from her hand.

Clatter.

"Dammit—!"

She felt her bones scream. Her shoulder popped—dislocated with a sickening crack. She howled. Blood sprayed from her mouth.

"Ryujin—!" she cried. "Wake up! Please—!"

A whisper. Fading."I can't... You already burned through my time..."

Her chest tightened.

Alone.Really alone.

The chains twisted again.

She felt them inside her—splitting muscle. Breaking her from the inside out.

"I don't want to die like this," she thought. "Not like this. Not screaming. Not with my sword on the ground..."

Memories came.A boy in training who gave her his last ration.The woman who taught her how to wield silence as a weapon.A brother—maybe—whose name she couldn't say anymore.

She'd made it this far. She was stronger than this. Stronger than fear.

So why did she feel so fragile now?

Ronzi stepped closer. His shadow fell across her face.

"Your blood..." he whispered. "It smells like the past. I'll savor it. Every drop."

A chain drove into her stomach.

Her body convulsed. The pain was white-hot.

Then numb.

Her head dropped forward. Hair soaked in blood. Limbs bound.

She was dying.

But her eyes were still open.